The Finance Ministry has extended the deadline for filing income tax returns (ITR) for the assessment year 2025-26 to 15 September, giving taxpayers an additional 46 days from the original deadline of 31 July.
The move comes amid delays in processing returns and the rollout of updated ITR utilities.
This year, the Income Tax Department released Excel utilities for ITR-1 and ITR-4 on 29 May, almost two months later than usual. These tools allow taxpayers to file returns online or offline and ensure proper validation before submission.
Utilities for other ITR forms (ITR-1 to ITR-6) have since been released, but the utility for ITR-7 is still pending.
Since filing began on 29 May, around 3.29 crore returns have been submitted, with 3.19 crore verified. However, only 1.13 crore returns, less than 40% of the total filed, have been processed by the government so far, even after three months.
The Finance Ministry explained that the extension was needed due to “extensive changes” in the ITR forms and utilities. These revisions were aimed at simplifying compliance, improving transparency, and ensuring accurate reporting. The ministry also highlighted the time required for system development, integration, and testing of the new utilities as a key reason for the extension.
Tax experts say this additional time will help taxpayers complete filings correctly, reduce errors, and ensure the smooth processing of returns.